Portugal

You don’t have to listen very hard to hear whispers of the old world in Portugal. Moorish castles, sleepy villages and magical port towns all speak of times gone by, with a former charm no longer palpable in Europe. Yet beneath the echoes lies a sleek, sophisticated hotbed of diversity and culture that’s entirely new. Lisbon is Portugal’s most global city, with distinct monuments and architecture dating back to the Romanesque, Gothic and Post Modern periods. It is also the beating heart of iconic cafés, fado clubs and eclectic shops. Flâneurs flock to Porto, where cobblestone streets and crumbling cathedrals will have you wandering for hours. Don`t leave without visiting one of the many port cellars lining the riverside. Remote villages, buzzing university towns and seductive landscapes dot Portugal’s interior. Look for the decorative azulejo tiles covering many of Portugal’s convents, palaces and fountains. Known as Europe’s West Coast, contrasting geographies heighten the already amorous ideal, with rich vegetation and volcanic islands playing grandly off the sparkle of clear blue seas.

Regions in Portugal

Bathed in pure Atlantic light, crowned by the storybook St. George's Castle and straddling seven hills, Lisbon is one of Europe's most visually striking capitals. Looks aside, the city will surely win you over... read more

Lured by Guincho (near the westernmost point in continental Europe), the Boca do Inferno (Mouth of Hell), and Lord Byron's "glorious Eden" at Sintra, many travelers spend much of their time in the area around... read more

Madeira is a sub-tropical archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean made up of two populated islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two groups of unpopulated islands called the Desertas and Selvagens Islands.... read more

In the ancient Moorish town of Xelb (today called Silves), a handsome and sensitive vizier once lived. During one of his sojourns into northern lands, he fell in love with a beautiful Nordic princess. After... read more

Encompassing the university city of Coimbra, the three provinces of the Beiras are the quintessence of Portugal. Beira is Portuguese for "edge" or "border"; the provinces are Beira Litoral (coastal), Beira... read more

The Minho, in the verdant northwest corner of Portugal, is almost a land unto itself. The region begins some 40km (25 miles) north of Porto and stretches to the frontier of Galicia, in northwest Spain. In fact,... read more